9 Beasts Spear Art

Bai Hu opened the book and began reading through it. Inside were 9 sections depicting 9 different forms of the spear.

There were 3 elementary forms, 3 intermediate forms, and 3 advanced forms, each named after a fearsome beast or creature.

The first form is called Dancing Crane, followed by Charging Bull and then Crouching Tiger. These make up the elementary forms this spear art can take on. The next set of forms are the Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and then White Tiger. Finally, the last 3 forms are called the Soaring Phoenix, Devouring Taotie, and Rising Dragon.

Each page contained a lifelike drawing of the corresponding beast, along with a drawing of a person holding a spear. They were extremely vivid and completely captured Bai Hu's attention.

After a while, he also made a copy of this technique so he can view it later and looked at several other techniques that interested him before leaving.

When he exited the pagoda, the sun had started to set. His master could be seen several meters away, still drinking his wine while leaning against a tree.

"Burp! Bai Hu! Get your ass over here!"

Bai Hu hurriedly walked over to the drunken old man, "Master!"

"I trust that you've picked some suitable cultivation arts for yourself *Burp!*"

Bai Hu looked at his unreliable master with an unamused expression on his face. Even without cultivation, he could sense people staring at him and sighed. He took out the jade slip and gave it to Zhong Xian.

For once, the drunken elder put on a serious expression which Bai Hu suspected to be a façade, and sent a strand of divine sense into the slip. He read through it and gave his insights.

"Hm... Thunderflame Art... Windsteel Art... and Golden Bell Art. All of them are top notch cultivation arts in their own right and they make full use of your Chaotic Spiritual Roots, not bad. Hm?"

Bai Hu knew that Zhong Xian was now looking at the 9 Beasts Spear Art that he had copied from the first floor.

"9 Beasts Spear Art... You're interested in the spear?"

He had extracted the strand of divine sense and was now looking at Bai Hu.

Bai Hu respectfully gave a reply, "Yes Master, I felt drawn to this technique when I first saw it, and felt the need to make a copy"

"Hmm, alright. I'll give you a suitable spear later so you can train in this art. From the looks of it, this technique is quite powerful and it wouldn't hurt to learn it"

Bai Hu cupped his hands, "Thanks, Master!"

Zhong Xian waved his hand and his wine gourd turned into its flying tool form, "Hop on"

Bai Hu was about to do just that when he saw his master take another swig of wine from another wing gourd.

"Um, I don't think DUI is safe..."

"What are you talking about brat? Get on!"

"Whoa!"

With a wave of qi, Bai Hu was brought onto the giant gourd with Zhong Xian standing at the forefront.

"Wait! AH!"

The wine gourd turned into a streak of light with Bai Hu screaming and hanging on for dear life while onlookers looked on with blank expressions on their faces. If anyone were paying attention while on a high mountain peak, they would see a streak of light moving erratically across the sky. Sometimes it would dip down while other times it would move in a zig-zag pattern. If they were listening too, then they would hear faint screaming as well as unbridled laughter.

Plop!

Bai Hu landed headfirst into the soft ground. His eyes were still dazed after going through the most dangerous ride of his life, where falling off would result in him going splat on the ground hundreds of feet below him.

Zhong Xian's laughter died down as he took another drink and gestured around them.

"Welcome! To your new home!"

Lamenting about how his master couldn't be kind and caring like Rue Ming, Bai Hu sat up and took a better look at his surroundings.

It was a spacious area at the top of a mountain. Dark clouds hung low in the sky and heavy winds blew. A thin translucent barrier kept all wind and rain away. Unlike the clear skies that Bai Hu was used to, the entire place had a dark and static feel to it, though for some reason he felt right at home.

"Had you tried to sense qi anywhere else, you might have not succeeded if given a century. This place is abundant in both wind and lightning qi as well as qi of the 5 elements, making it the ideal place for you to cultivate"

Bai Hu was stunned for a brief moment, and then a wave of ecstasy hit him.

"I knew I chose the right Master! Forgive me for ever doubting you! Please accept this disciple's kowtow!"

"Hahaha! Good boy! I knew I had a good eye for picking disciples! Hahaha!"

And with that the duo laughed together for a while. Bai Hu went to organize a place for himself to sleep in with high spirits while Zhong Xian left to drink his own wine.

Bai Hu walked around the area to familiarize himself with the surrounding terrain. He walked with a gait as if he were taking a stroll through the forest, a stark contrast to the stormy clouds above.

"Hm?"

He stopped and took a better look at a stone cliffside. It was smooth and the vegetation covered it, making it hard to see. A smooth stone wall was revealed when he brushed aside the ferns and tree branches.

While others may think of it as an ordinary rock face, something about it unsettled Bai Hu. He reached his hand forward to touch the wall.

Bloop!

"Huh?!"

The seemingly tough stone warped under Bai Hu's tough. It was as if he touched a wall made of a viscous liquid, right between substantial and insubstantial. He pressed his hand forward with a bit more force.

Rip!

His hand shot right through, dispelling the illusion in place. A 2 meter tall and 1 meter wide entrance appeared and inside it was what seemed like living quarters.

"This is... a cultivator's abode?"

A slight medical fragrance wafted out and Bai Hu cautiously walked inside. A small room appeared in his view, with 3 doors leading deeper in. There was a mat on the floor woven from some unknown grass, and Buddhist prayer beads lay on top of it.

"Hello?"

No answer. It seems like this place has been abandoned, though it hasn't been unoccupied for long. An ecstatic expression appeared on his face. A cultivator's abode will contain treasures, and those treasures are definitely worth a lot.

The mat and prayer beads shone with a bit of spiritual light. He sat on the mat and immediately felt a cool, refreshing energy flow through his body. The prayer beads in his hands released a bit of light, clearing Bai Hu's head and leaving him refreshed. Both of these were priceless treasures and Bai Hu immediately felt like he had struck gold.

He looked at the other doors and went through the left-most door. The thick aroma of herbs and medicine hit him. He had entered a reinforced stone room that held shelves of bottles and dried herbs, and on the floor was a gold cauldron. Another door could be seen and he opened it, finding a small plot of land growing a few spiritual herbs.

There were 6 bottles and according to the labels, were mostly healing pills. Even so, they were high grade healing pills and could save lives in a perilous situation. There was one bottle that was for cultivation. It's called the Gold Qi Marrow Pill, which is an upgraded version of the qi marrow pill. There were 3 in the bottle and was cast aside, seemingly forgotten by the creator.

Then Bai Hu entered the door on the right. That door brought him into another stone room which contained a bookshelf. There were books on pill refinement, item refinement, and a few techniques and theories. Bai Hu flipped through a few of them and found that they were high grade books, meaning he wouldn't have to spend anything on elementary books if he were to ever get into alchemy and refinement.

Finally, he entered the last door. To his surprise, it didn't hold anything and at the center of the room, there was a small hole and above it, a stalactite could be seen. After careful inspection, Bai Hu found that on the stalactite was a tiny droplet. It seems to gather that liquid and drops it when it grows heavy enough.

He looked inside the small hole and found that a few drops had gathered there. The unknown liquid was azure in color and released a fresh fragrance. Bai Hu couldn't identify it so he let it be for now.

"It seems that whoever owned this mountain peak and sold it to Zhong Xian had taken everything that could be taken. And left stuff that was useless or not as good as whatever Master offered"

Unbeknownst to Bai Hu, his prediction was right on point, as Elder Zhai was a rare wine fanatic that would trade heavenly treasures for top grade wine.